Pages & Projects: Aspen meets Into the Wild

I have a super fun page for you today! It went together quickly, even with me making the changes that I did!

Close to my Heart has a fantastic blog, that has some great tips and freebies on it, so if you don’t already follow it, you really should! You can find it here.

So, for today’s pages, I decided to take a peek at the blog, and found a great post that had a free sketch with it too! So, this is the post I am referring to, and if you scroll down, it has a link for the PDF pattern that you can download, for free!

So, grab your favorite drink, print out the pattern, grab your favorite paper pack, and click play on the video! Come make a scrapbook page with me!

https://youtu.be/CF4NTAsRciQ

{Click here if you cannot see the video in your email}

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you share your creation with me! I would love to see it!

~ Michelle

5 things to know about going to a crop

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So, you are going to a crop . . . what do you bring? How much to pack? Do you need everything from your craft room? It can be overwhelming if you haven’t been to one before, or if you are going to one that is new to you. So, let me give you a few tips!

1. Have Fun! The point of crops is to be working on your own projects alongside other creative people. This means that you will be able to get input from others, bounce ideas off of, or even ‘how do I do this?’ type conversations. You will learn a lot, and gain new friends! This also means that you might not get a TON of stuff done. Or, maybe you are one of those people that are able to get a LOOOOOOOOT of stuff done! (I personally don’t generally fall into that last option! hahaha!!)

2. Bring at least two projects to work on. Just like at home, you may have the best of intentions to work on this one specific project, only to get there and ‘not feel like it’. So, bring another project to work on as well. They don’t have to be big projects, but having something different generally helps! So, if your main focus is a scrapbook, maybe bring a set of cards to work on as well. This helps your brain to switch gears and not be overwhelmed.

3. Pack smartly! Your table size will vary upon location and event. If you only have half a table to work on, you want to make sure that you will still have space to craft on, after you unpack your supplies! You likely won’t need your die cutting machine, every one of your ink pads, every one of your stamp sets, or ‘all the things’. Pack what you will need for your projects that you are bringing. I know I said two up above, but it’s ok to bring more than that! Just try to limit to 5 or fewer, otherwise you will be bringing all the things!

4. Perfect for introverts! You might be thinking that I’m crazy! That crops, a gathering of people, is perfect for introverts? Hear me out. The people that are attending a crop are all creative people, right? Most of them will be paper crafters. So, if we go with that assumption (all paper crafters), that means that you will have something in common with every one of the people there. You won’t have to use extra mental energy to try to come up with conversation with others. This is one of my favorite things about crops!

5. What should you bring? This will vary for every person and every event. But, you should have your basic tool kit. If you don’t know what that is, I did a post about that here. Then your projects. So, for example, if you are working on a Workshop your way kit, you will want everything in the kit (all in one bag) plus the inks, stamp, blocks, and photos for those pages. And remember, if you forget something, the likelyhood that someone else there has that item, or something that would work in place of it, is really pretty high!

So, that all being said, check out Danielle’s post about what to bring to a crop! Her post is more item focused as opposed to mine being more ‘what to expect when cropping’!

Thanks for stopping by! Share in a comment below, what you love to take to crops!

FBL: Into the Wild Mini Album

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Sunday we started working on another mini album! I had the pieces pre-cut for this, I thought I might be able to make it through in one go, however I forgot my laptop charger, so I ran out of battery! Oops!

So, we will have part two to finish the base pages and do the embellishing next week, so you will want to make sure to come back!

I will have a few options for you! You can purchase the pre-cut kits from me for $45, or you can place a $50 order on my website, and I will send you the cutting guide, and you can cut the pieces yourself. (add on the SOTM for $5 and I will also send you the August SOTM kit free as well!)

Check out the video here.

I, of course, had to make a few changes, but they aren’t many, and they flow well with the album!

The things that you will need for this mini album are:

Into the Wild WYW Kit
Into the Wild Scrapbooking Stamp Set
6×8 Page Protectors
4×6 Page Protectors
3×4 Page Protectors

Plus, of course, glue, foam tape, & scissors.

Man Card Monday: Still so Much to Enjoy!

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Welcome back to another Man Card Monday! Today we are going with a mono chromatic card, that works perfect with any wood grain paper you might have stashed away! (I know I have a small stash of it!)

This card is super fun and easy to make!

Here are a couple of close up photos for you, because I know you want them!

The first card, without inking:

The one made in the video, with inking:

Which do you like better? Let me know in the comments below!

The little details:

Value Card Base & Envelope with card trimmed to 4 x 5 1/2
Charcoal Cardstock: 3 3/4 x 5 1/4 (qty. 2)
White Daisy Cardstock: 3 1/2 x 5
B&T Paper: 2 1/8 x 6 & 4 1/2 x 1/2 (qty. 12-ish)
Printer paper: 3 1/2 x 5
Whisper Thick Twine
Black & White Dots

Color Challenge with H2H!

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This week’s challenge is to use Pink, Grey, Black, and White. You have until the end of the month to play along, so I hope that you do!

I knew that I wanted to use the Hippo that is one of the hostess rewards available until the end of the month. It is such an adorable set! I know you will want one too! Just ask me how to get it!

I decided that I was going to CASE the card that is in the Seasonal Expressions book for this stamp, I figure why not make my life a little easier, right? That card is a 5×7 card. I estimated the white piece to be a 4×6 piece of white daisy, and I just built my card on that basis.

The grey comes from the Into the Wild paper packet, the pink comes from the Mix In paper packet, and the rest is plain cardstock. (black, charcoal, and white daisy). I stamped the hippo, sentiment, and the banner strings in intense black ink, since I knew I would be coloring it. Then I stamped the banners in ballerina and charcoal inks. I stamped the party hat in ballerina on a scrap piece of white daisy, and stamped the poof for the top in charcoal.

I used the medium round waterbrush to pick up a little bit of the charcoal ink from the lid of the ink pad, to outline the hippo with. I also added some rounded cheeks with the ballerina ink, the same way. Then I grabbed a bit of the sapphire ink (just a tad little bit, mind you!) and put a very slight wash of blue behind lil miss hippo. I did use my heat gun to dry the cardstock, so I could continue with my card! I used liquid glass to adhere the hippo panel to the charcoal cardstock mat.

Before I glued everything to the front, I had to decide how to put the card together. Now, if you know me, you know I like to be frugal with my paper, when I can be! Well, today’s card is no different! Would you believe me if I told you that you can get TWO cards that are 5×7 from one single sheet of cardstock? Well, you can, if you do it the same way that I did!

If you use the windmill pattern, you can get four 5×7 pieces out of one 12 x 12 piece of cardstock. Then, if you create a score line of 1/2 inch along the top (like I did), or the long side, you can then create two 5×7 cards from one sheet of cardstock!

So, I put the 1/2 inch score line along the top of the inside of the card, using liquid glass to adhere them together, so I would know they wouldn’t fall apart. Once I had the card base put together, I could put the rest of it together! I glued on the papers to the front. I then added the hippo and mat piece with lots of foam tape! I don’t want it to buckle when I sent it off!

On the inside, I made my panel a bit smaller, to be 3 1/2 x 5, with a charcoal mat around it. Before I glued it together I added lil miss hippo’s head and the happy birthday sentiment.

To finish off the whole thing, I added a few bitty sparkles to lil miss hippo’s party decor! Then I decided I wanted to add a smidge more color, and used the ballerina ink and the small round waterbrush, with no water in it, to add some color to the letters in Hippo – partymus!

Isn’t this card just adorable? I love how fun it is! And, by the time you see this, I will have given it to my daughter, who loves hippos! Do you know someone that loves hippos? You only have a little bit of time left before this stamp goes away, don’t miss out!!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I would love it if you left a comment for me! I do read every one of them!

All products used are CTMH, unless otherwise noted:

Into the Wild Paper Pack
Mix In Paper Packet
White Daisy Cardstock
Charcoal Cardstock
Black Cardstock
Intense Black Ink
Ballerina Ink
Charcoal Ink
Sapphire Ink *photo shows old style lagoon pad, but it really was the sapphire pad
Liquid Glass
3-D Foam Tape
Small Round Waterbrush
Bitty Sparkles
Micro-tip Scissors
3 x 3 Clear Acrylix Block
1 x 3 1/2 Clear Acrylix Block
1 x 1 Clear Acrylix Block
Fiskars Paper Trimmer

Shop your stash Saturday ~ Skimpy supplies

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Welcome back to another Shop your Stash Saturday!

I know that if you are seeing this, you likely have a stash of paper that you either didn’t use because you completed the first project, and didn’t get back to it, you love it and don’t want to use it, or any number of reasons.

Today I have just a bit of the “A Slice of Happy” cardmaking workshop your way. As you can see, I don’t have much of this kit left! I cannibalized it for other projects! Until this project, I had never inked up the stamp set that came with it! I love the set, and I don’t know why I didn’t use it . . . too many projects, not enough time, I think!

So, I started with the directions, and had to adjust, since I didn’t have as much paper as it called for! Just one sheet of 12×12 B&T, 1 sheet of whisper cardstock, and a partial piece of sapphire cardstock.

I wanted some of both cards, and wanted more that just 2 of each, so . . . math time it was! I figured out that I could get 4 cards of each design with what paper I had! Woohoo!!

So, here’s what I did:

From my 12×12, I cut 3 pieces that were 3 3/4 x 12.

Then, I cut 2 of those pieces into 5 1/4 x 3 3/4 pieces, which gives you four pieces.

From the remaining 3 3/4 x 12 piece, I cut 4 pieces that were 1 1/4 x 3 3/4, and four pieces that were 1 1/2 x 3 3/4.

You should have a couple of scraps that are 1 x 3 3/4. Cut each of these to 1/2 x 3 3/4.

You are all done cutting the B&T piece! Yaay!

Now, for the Whisper, I cut a 4 x 12 strip and cut that down to 3 x 4, which gives you four pieces.
Then I cut another 4 x 12 piece, and cut that down to four pieces that were 1 1/2 x 4.

Now the sapphire. For that one, all I did was cut four pieces that were 3/8 x 4.

Oh, the white daisy might be important too, yes? Four pieces that are 2 3/4 x 3 3/4 and four pieces that are 4 x 1 3/4. Plus a scrap that is about 4 x 4, to stamp the stars on.

Then, it’s just as easy as just layering all of the pieces together to make the cards!

These cards came together very quickly! The longest part was the coloring of the pizza!

So, shop your stash! Complete a project that you have just set aside for ‘another time’, crunch some numbers and do something like I did, or mix it up and do both!

I bet you can find something that needs to be done! Show me when you complete it! I would love to see!

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, and yes, I have a few more tiny scraps, but that makes me happier than a 12 x 12 sheet that is doing nothing!

Thinking of You Gifts

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Sunday’s live video was all about giving some yummy treats to someone, just because. We decorated a mug and added some yummy cookie bars and come coffee packs, just because.

These little gifts were super fast to make. You will spend more time waiting for the cookie bars to bake than anything else! (and even that isn’t too long!)

So, click on over to the FB group and watch the live video (on replay) and make yourself some fun mugs!

Now that you have watched the fun video, let’s make some of these fantastically easy cookies, shall we?

I did NOT come up with this idea by myself, it was a fantastic pinterest find! (actually, we found a bunch of sites that copied the first one, but left some of the info out, so I went searching for the original, and luckily, I found it!)

Look at this beautiful photo . . . . this is all that you will need to make these cookies!

(Image from smartschoolhouse.com)

And if you click here, you will find the recipe and instructions, and even a short video of her making them!

I am telling you, these are so easy to make, and they are sooooooooooo good! They puff up much more than you think they will! I don’t think there is a size of pan listed. I would stick close to an 8×8 sized pan!

You will add these to your go to treat list, I promise!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!

Let me know if you decide to make the treats (food or mugs) and share a photo! I would love to see!

See you next time!

MCM: Thank You

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Today is an easy project, and could be used with any color combination that you might have or want to use! I used Sapphire cardstock and ink today, however, use what works best for whomever you are giving your card to!

{If you cannot see/watch this video, click here to watch it.}

You could even make up a whole set of these with different sentiments on there!

I hope that you liked today’s card!

The items needed for today’s card are listed below.

White Daisy Cardstock: 3 x 4 (qty 2)
Sapphire Cardstock: 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 (qty 2)
White Value Card Base & Envelope
Sapphire Ink
Clear Embossing Powder
Into the Wild Scrapbooking Stamp set
Thank You Badge Stamp set

Adventure Awaits with H2H

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Are you ready for another Adventure? I know I sure am! At the beginning of the summer, Audrey went on a trip with one of her good friends, and they camped for a couple of nights at Crater Lake. It’s a beautiful spot in Oregon, with a gorgeous lake, and a hike around the bowl, and so many beautiful sights to see!

When they got back into cell range, she sent me a few photos, and I knew I needed to scrap them! So, I went back to the mini album idea, I’m thinking she will like it, at least, I hope she will! The Cricut You Are Here bundle have some GREAT stamps for travel! (not to mention some great cuts, too!)

I started with a New England Ivy cardstock base, and realized that it was too heavy. So, I added a bit of the wood grain paper from the Into the Wild paper packet at the top of the page. I left the green at the bottom because A. it was a bit heavier, and B. it would work well with the trees that are in the photo.

I stamped 4 of the images on white daisy in archival black ink, and then decided that the road sign needed to be green instead. So, I restamped it in Fern ink. I wanted to put a little something over the photo (once I get it printed), so I used a bit of vellum and stamped on it with the archival black ink. I used two different stamps to get the sentiment that I wanted.

I wanted the wifi stamp on there since there was zero cell service up there for her. So I stamped it in second generation charcoal ink, right onto the wood piece. I haven’t printed the photo yet, but this is the photo that will be going onto this page!

This will be an awesome page, won’t it? She sent me a few photos, so I might add a few flip flaps to put other photos and a journaling spot for her. I did stamp the little ‘you are here’ markers from the Escape to Paradise stamp set and thin cuts in sapphire, lagoon, and candy apple red to put a marker on the photo, but since I don’t have it printed yet, I don’t know which would look best. So, I have them attached to the back of the page with a bit of washi tape!

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you had this page, what photo would YOU put on it? Leave a comment and let me know!

All products used are CTMH unless otherwise noted:

You Are Here Cricut Bundle
Into the Wild Paper Packet
White Daisy Cardstock
New England Ivy Cardstock
Archival Black Ink
Charcoal Ink
Fern Ink
Vellum
3-D Foam Tape
Liquid Glass
2 x 3 1/2 Clear Acrylix Block
1 x 3 1/2 Clear Acrylix Block
Fiskars Paper Trimmer

Shop your Stash Saturday

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Happy Weekend! I hope yours has started well!

We are starting another new weekly feature here on the blog, called Shop your Stash Saturdays! It’s going to be all about using what you have! While I love shopping for more crafty stuff as much as the next person, sometimes I really like (and should) use the stuff I have. I mean, I DID get it for a reason, right??

So, different weeks will focus on different parts!

So, first up, how do you store your scraps?

Do you have them in a drawer?

Do you have only a few left, and in a bag?

Do you have a LOT left, including 12×12 pieces, so you keep them all together?

Have you cut them into small, usable pieces?

As you can see, I seem to have almost all of the above!!

So, I need to figure out what I like best, and start sorting! I do like the container. Those are 4×6, and 3×4 pieces (mostly) with a small pile that is 2×6. This is one of the old medium containers that we used to sell. However you could do this in the new ones as well!

I had some sheets that were just one or two left in a paper packet, so I cut them down to 4×6. That means that they are large enough to use on a card, I can use them in spots on a layout, if I wanted, and I could use them for cricut cuts very easily!

So, that being said, I wanted to show you what I ended up making, with just a few scraps!

I used some white daisy cardstock to make the base, and even had some extra, hence the smaller one! I will have the dimensions below, but know that I was able to get the decorations for these and many more from just a few pieces of these 4×6 scraps!

I made sure to check my scrap embellishments too! We don’t want to neglect those either!

I really like what I ended up with here, and I hope that you do as well! They are super easy to make, and I’m positive that you have some scraps that you could use up, too!

Who would you make up some of these fun little treats for?

See you soon!

White Daisy Size:
2 1/2 x 6 3/4 scored at 4 1/4 & 4 3/4
small scrap for stitched circle

B&T:
4 x 2 1/4
2 1/4 x 1 3/4